


half a world away

by foundation



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Canon-Typical Violence, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Trans Claude von Riegan, Trans Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, Trans Male Character, background marianne/leonie, mentions of lysithea/cyril
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:47:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28292601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foundation/pseuds/foundation
Summary: In his dreams, one thing Lorenz cannot ignore is the fear that he will never find the person he's searching for. It haunts him, even after he wakes.It’s a feeling Lorenz has been intimately familiar with his entire life. His childhood had been spent longing for a single warm glance from his father, his mother. In his adolescence, he had learned to wrap himself in barbed words and cold distance. Only recently had he begun to pull off a lifetime of armor, expose the soft parts of himself to the warmth and care of others.But even then, that yearning, that pull, had never truly left Lorenz. He felt as if he would be searching for his entire life.
Relationships: Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 46





	half a world away

**Author's Note:**

> claude and lorenz are both trans masc in this (lorenz being on the more gender fluid side of the scale), w amab terms being used to refer to claude and afab terms being used for lorenz ! generally, everything is left vague but take care as you read 
> 
> title is from the aurora song of the same name ! unbeta'd, any mistakes r my ownヾ( ￣O￣)ツ

A volley of flaming arrows rained down around him. The dry grass caught, turning into a roaring blaze. The scent of oil was thick in the air. The fire licked at his armor, searching for skin; his horse whinnied in fear.

Lorenz searched for someone in the chaos. He didn't know who; their name stuck somewhere just outside of his reach. Smoke and fear clogged his throat until he couldn’t breathe.

A man with sallow skin and lank black hair caught sight of him across the field. He raised a hand, and purple light gathered around it. With a sickening flash, it reached out towards Lorenz.

Before it reached him, Lorenz closed his eyes.

✺✺✺

Lorenz woke with a wet gasp.

It was too early to be awake, only the faintest hint of blue light curling across his bedroom. He sat up, wiping the cold sweat from his face. Lorenz used to sleep under a pile of thick quilts and soft blankets. Now that the dreams had started, he could barely stand to sleep until a single thin sheet.

He grabbed his phone from its' wireless charger, opening up his messages with Marianne.

**_Message to: marianne💙_ **

_5:12 am_

_i had another one._

Laying back, breathing slowly as Marianne taught him, Lorenz waited for her response. He knew she would despite the early hour. She was the only person that Lorenz knew that preferred to wake before the sun. After a few minutes, her reply came.

**_Message from: marianne💙_ **

_5:14 am_

_anything new?_

**_Message to: marianne💙_ **

_5:16 am_

_not that I could tell. i still feel as if i'm looking for someone, and then that man shows up._

**_Message from: marianne💙_ **

_5:20 am_

_well, do your breathing exercises and make sure to write down what you remember!_

**_Message to: marianne💙_ **

_5:20 am_

_okay. thank you, marianne._

**_Message from: marianne💙_ **

_5:22 am_

_love you lorenz_

_let's meet for lunch today <3_

**_Message to: marianne💙_ **

_5:23 am_

_okay. sounds good💕_

Lorenz smiled faintly, his breathing finally calming down.

He did breathing exercises for a minute more. His dream journal sat waiting on the window sill. Dawn spilled golden over Derdriu as Lorenz wrote down what he remembered. Already the dream was turning hazy in his grip until he was left with nothing but a yearning so great it threatened to rip him apart.

✺✺✺

Lysithea's research studio took up the top floor of a building near the North Port. Rotting wooden pillars rose out of the nearby water, supporting mildewing boardwalks. The wet smell wafted over the nearby commercial district. No matter how anyone complained about the smell though, those pillars continued to stand, the city council crying out about historical preservation. Ever since Lorenz took on the unenviable job of trying to organize Lysithea's research, he had become quite familiar with the scent.

The day passed in the same quiet routine. Lorenz unlocked the studio at six, pushed open the curtains, and lit a stick of the incense Marianne gave him to calm his nerves. Fruitlessly, he wrote up a schedule he knew Lysithea would abandon an hour in.

The sounds of the city got louder and louder as he scrolled through his various feeds. His desk was pushed into one of the corners, underneath a large window. Sunlight washed out his computer screen, reflecting his tired face back to him.

Lysithea arrived a few minutes past seven, already looking thunderous.

"Good morning," Lorenz said.

"Have you checked the email yet?" Lysithea threw her bag down on her desk. Papers spilled out, her laptop making an ominous thunk.

"Not yet," He admitted, cautious. "Why?"

"One of my grants fell through." Lysithea fumed. "They fucking emailed in the middle of the night! Where the hell do they get off doing that?"

Something in Lorenz's stomach sank. "Which grant?"

"The Agarthan Heritage Foundation." She seethed. "Apparently my research ' _no longer meets the requirements for funding_ ', it's bullshit!"

"Oh." Running the numbers in his head, Lorenz blanched. "That was for a...rather substantial amount was it not?"

"Yes! It was!" Lysithea shouted. "And they couldn't even bother to call me! An email! All I get is an email?"

"We'll — You'll need to restructure then." Lorenz forced himself to say. "Most applications are closed until next year at least."

Lysithea groaned, flopping down in her office chair. Her white hair, thrown into a precarious bun atop her head, fell and spilled messily across her face.

"I suppose so." She said. "I probably won't renew when the lease on this place runs out next month. There are cheaper places to rent near South Port."

"You love this building," Lorenz said, distant. "It's so close to your and Cyril's apartment."

"It's just a building, it's fine." She didn't meet his eyes.

"Lysithea," Lorenz said, delicately. "If keeping me on is no longer… _feasible_ , I will —"

"Are you kidding?" Lysithea frowned at him. "I'm not gonna fire you. Don't be stupid."

"I'm not being _stupid_ ," Lorenz frowned back. "If keeping me on is an unnecessary drain then it only makes sense —"

" _Lorenz_." Lysithea interrupted. "If I fire you, where are you going to work?"

"I can find another job!" Lorenz snapped, offended. "I'm not incompetent!"

"Well, I don't want you to find something else! I need you here!"

Outside, a boat horn blared, cutting the silence that had fallen over the two of them. Lysithea's cheeks were flushed, angry, or embarrassed Lorenz didn’t know. She was one of his dearest friends, but rarely did they voice any sentiment that may hint at that fact. Foolishly, Lorenz began to bristle from the awkwardness.

"Just," Lysithea pulled her laptop over, slamming it open. "Get me the lab documentation from the past two weeks."

Lorenz nodded, numbly, and fell into the quiet routine of work.

✺✺✺

Forty years ago there had been a massive restoration project on all of Deirdru's beaches. The city was nearly a thousand years old and its' docks had been in service for all that time. The toxins that had been leached into the water and sand had accumulated to such levels that the public was banned from the area. An old man, whose family had lived in Deirdru since its' cornerstone was laid, hadn't listened to the ban, and went fishing there anyway. He had died three days after falling sick. Public outcry had reached such a pitch the city was forced to act.

It took over a decade to get the toxicity levels down to safe levels. Most of the old sand had to be carted away, the rest buried under tons of smooth river rocks brought in from Aegir.

Lorenz and Marianne's go-to lunch spot overlooked a stretch of the beach; the Adrestian style cafe boasting the best two-fish sautee in the city. Lorenz picked at his serving of fish and watched the afternoon sun glint against the black river rocks.

"Are you still thinking about the dream?" Marianne asked him. Her scrubs peaked out from her tied overcoat, pale blue with embroidered songbirds along the collar.

"No." Lorenz sighed. "Lysithea lost one of her grants."

"Oh no," Marianne said, genuinely distressed. "That's terrible. How much was it for?"

"It was over ten thousand dollars a month." Lorenz shook his head. "Lysithea doesn't want to admit how bad it is, I think."

"Maybe it's not sunk in yet for her," Marianne said. "Big shocks like that, they can be hard to accept."

" _Yes_ , I am aware, however," Lorenz said. "That does not mean she can blindly march forward, carrying on as if the situation of today is the same as yesterday's."

"You're very upset about this." Marianne took a small bite of butter-drenched fish.

"Lysithea doesn't have the budget for a full-time employee. She needs to let me go."

"Well, Lysithea won't do that," Marianne said. "She's too stubborn."

Lorenz sighed, his shoulder slumping. "I know. I don't know how to convince her."

"You could always quit. There's nothing forcing you to work there."

A breeze off the ocean untucked Lorenz's hair from behind his ear. Absently he twirled it around his finger. The afternoon sun caught in the corner of his eye. In truth, he had never meant to work for Lysithea for this long. She had taken pity on him when he had dropped out of business school in his final semester. Left floundering, disowned, and disillusioned, Lysithea had thrown him a lifeline. To this day she claimed it wasn't pity that had motivated her to offer him the job, but Lorenz knew pity when he saw it.

"I don't think I can," Lorenz admitted. "She'd be so upset."

"There's a way to make it work." Marianne nodded. "I believe in the two of you."

"Thank you," Lorenz said quietly. "Oh, I'm sorry I've spent our lunch complaining. I didn't even ask you about your day."

"It's fine," She smiled. "It doesn't matter what we talk about, Lorenz. I just like spending time with you."

Flustered, but calmer than before, Lorenz paid his half of the bill and began the walk with Marianne back to their bus stop.

"Leonie wants you to come over for dinner," Marianne said. "She says you've been avoiding her."

"Goddess," Lorenz sighed. "I have to cancel a single visit to the ranch, and suddenly I’m a villian. I was _busy."_

"Oh no," Marianne laughed. "I can see why she's so upset."

"Dinner does sound nice," Lorenz said, swiping his bus pass. "What day?"

"Are you free tomorrow night?" Marianne asked, taking a seat. Lorenz felt his cheeks flush.

"Ah, no, not tomorrow." Lorenz fiddled with one of the buttons of his coat. "I'm picking Claude up from the airport."

"Oh, I see." Marianne smile curled knowingly at him, her eyes shining with mirth.

"It will be nice to see Claude again," Marianne said. "How long was he gone for again?"

"Two months." Lorenz answered. "Marianne —"

"I wasn't implying anything." Marianne rubbed his arm as if calming a spooked horse. "It'll just be nice to see him again."

Lorenz huffed, turned, and looked out the window. The streets of Derdriu lazily speed past as the bus headed back into the commercial work district.

People went about their days, lazy or frantic. Walking back from lunch, going to class. A group of teens stood and smoked near the approaching bus stop. An older woman sat with a tote overflowing with groceries on her lap. Lorenz closed his eyes, suddenly very tired, and rested his forehead against the cool glass. He wondered what people thought when they saw the faint impression of his face through the window.

✺✺✺

Claude and Lorenz had met four and a half years ago in a foundations of finance class.

Their first meeting ended with Lorenz storming away in a confused, worked up huff and Claude staring after him for a long time. Their second, third, and fourth interactions did not go much better.

Eventually, they settled into something like friendship, a tentative ceasefire between them. Really, it was only because they shared too many mutual friends to continue to actively dislike one another. To Lorenz's initial horror, and later mild curiosity, he and Claude got along fantastically once Lorenz stopped treating every conversation with him like a middle school debate club meeting (Claude's wording).

Lorenz's feelings towards Claude never did mellow out though. Simply being within Claude's presence inspired emotions so great in Lorenz, that he feared being swept away by them. Lorenz could not control himself around him. It was an odd, unnerving feeling to be pushed so thoroughly off balance like that.

Claude was a shining smile, a friendly touch, that Lorenz wanted to hoard all for himself. Claude was like sunlight, after being in the cold for his entire life. The smell of a rose, after living in the rotting muck.

To say that Lorenz was furious at himself for feeling this way would've been an understatement.

He was embarrassed, angry, terrified that Claude would figure him out. Turn those sharp eyes on him and cut through the soft underbelly of Lorenz; everything hidden inside him would come spilling out under that gaze. He was terrified that Claude would laugh at him. Or worse, pity him.

When they started sleeping together at the beginning of their senior year — and that's _all_ it was, sleeping together — Lorenz lamented to Marianne the enormous idiocy of the whole situation. How if he had any modicum of intelligence he would stop this before it began. Marianne, forever patient, had only laughed softly at him.

Truly they had only started sleeping together because in senior year Lorenz had sworn off of sleeping with cis men after his fourth terrible hookup in a row. Lorenz had been drunkenly lamenting the man's numerous failings to Claude when he had turned those sharp green eyes on him and uttered the words that would prove to be Lorenz's undoing:

"You want to sleep with me instead?"

"What," Lorenz had spluttered. He couldn't tell if the burning in his throat was fear, excitement, or too much hard seltzer.

"You don't want to hook up with cis guys anymore," Claude repeated to him. "Well, I'm not cis."

"That's hardly my only criteria for who I sleep with!" Lorenz spluttered. Inside he was screaming at himself for not saying yes already. Wasn't this what he wanted? To be close to Claude?

"What's the other criteria then?" Claude smiled. It infuriated Lorenz then how easy it seemed for Claude to handle this conversation. Why was it always Lorenz fumbling after him like some newborn colt. Where Claude ran, Lorenz tripped. Where he sang, Lorenz choked. It made him seethe with rage, it made Lorenz want to pull him so close to him it would become impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

"Well, I," Lorenz blushed. "I couldn't say off the top of my head."

"Hmm." Claude had been silent then for awhile. He had taken another long drink, Lorenz watched his throat move with rapt attention. "Do you want to? If you don't want to that's fine, I promise I won't be weird about it. I won't bother you again."

 _Bother me forever_ , Lorenz had thought. _I don't want to sleep with other men because they always infuriate me. You make me so angry and yet I never want you to leave._

He hadn't said any of that out loud though. Lorenz was well practiced with biting his tongue.

"Alright," Lorenz had said. "Yes, okay." Claude had answered with a slow smile; the first touch of his hands had made Lorenz feel as if his skin would catch fire.

The next morning Lorenz walked home with sore hips and a pleasant hum blocking out every other thought in his head. Claude had offered to pay for a Lyft for him, but Lorenz had demurred. He needed the fresh air, and the time to call Marianne.

He had just finished lamenting the aforementioned idiocy when Marianne asked a simple question that Lorenz simply could not answer:

"Do you want him again?"

The answer was _yes_ of course, but it was the kind of _yes_ that if Lorenz said it out loud it would spill out every single one of his secrets. Things that he didn't even want Marianne to know. So he stayed silent, and let that answer for him.

On that long walk home, the cold air a balm against his skin, Lorenz had realized that now that he had Claude, even in this small way, Lorenz could not bear to let him go.

✺✺✺

How Claude had not realized yet that Lorenz was in love with him was beyond understanding. Why else would Lorenz brave Derdriu international airport? He would not even do so for his own family. Although, in truth, that wasn't saying much.

The city of Derdriu was simply not equipped to handle a large airport, but it's significance both politically and culturally gave it little choice but to have one. If the city had its way, everyone would have to arrive by boat. Against the neverending tide of people wishing to get in and out of the city, however, this was impossible.

Lorenz circled the arrivals with a nervous weight in his stomach. It felt too hot inside of his car. His eyes passed over the crowded pickup area, desperate to find that head of dark curls, those green eyes that could find him from a mile away.

Finally, his phone rang, Claude's picture filling the screen.

"Claude," Lorenz answered. "Are you outside?"

"I just got my bag! I'm heading outside now." Claude's voice sounds tired but bright. Lorenz’s heart aches from how he missed it. Claude's time in Almyra kept him so busy, that they rarely had time to talk. The time difference too had left them unbalanced, forever just missing each other. All they had had for two months was fleeting texts, a pale imitation of the closeness they had when they were in the same country.

"Okay, I'm at zone A," Claude said. "You see me?"

"Ah, yes, there you are," Lorenz said as if he did not see Claude as soon as he stepped outside. As soon as he pulled the car over, Claude was there, a grin on his face. Lorenz had barely stepped out of the car before he was being pulled into the warm embrace of Claude's arms. The hug was tinged with something Lorenz couldn't bring himself to name, both of them holding on a little tighter than usual, both of them pretending they weren't.

Lorenz wanted to pull back and look at Claude, take in every detail about him that had changed, and everything that had stayed the same. That impulse warred with the one that never wanted to let go, the one that made him want to close his eyes and stay in the crowded pickup lane of a loud airport forever until the world learned to move around them.

"I missed you," Lorenz whispered.

"Ah, Lorenz," Claude laughed. "Yeah, I missed you too."

✺✺✺

Lorenz lived in a small single bedroom apartment far enough away from downtown that the noise of the city faded away to a distant hum.

As soon as he was through the door, Claude fell down onto the couch with a dramatic groan. Lorenz huffed in faux annoyance, left to bring in Claude's luggage by himself.

"Lorenz, my dearest friend," Claude groaned. "You have to promise me that If I ever try and book a red-eye again you'll remind me of this moment. Tell me ' _Claude von Riegan, you dunce! You despise red eyes, they make you feel absolutely terrible! Change your flight at once!'_."

"I believe," Lorenz said. "That I did in fact say something along those lines when you sent me your itinerary. You, however, ignored me."

"Ah, don't hold it against me," Claude said. "Take pity on your foolish, foolish friend."

"I thought I was," Lorenz huffed as he dragged in the last suitcase. "You couldn't help with these?"

"I'm broken Lorenz," Claude said, a grin beginning to pull at the edges of his lips. "I sat in a middle seat for ten hours. I have lost my humanity and my legs. What little is left of me is but dust."

"Would the dust currently monopolizing my couch like dinner?" Lorenz fought a smile. "Or would it like to be left alone to continue its dramatics?"

Claude's eyes shot open. "Can we order from Raph's?"

"I imagine he'd be quite upset at us if we didn't," Lorenz said. He sat down, perched on the arm of the couch. "Daphnel stew then?"

"And some veggie stir-fry? Please?"

"Yes, alright. Let me call." Lorenz pulled out his phone. "Knowing Raphael he'll probably try and deliver the food himself."

"Aw, he's sweet." Claude closed his eyes again. "Tell him to pack extra sauce, yeah?"

"Of course," Lorenz said. As he called and put the order in, he tried desperately to quell the fluttering of his heart. He couldn't of course. It felt like this was the happiest he had been in ages. Now it seemed so silly, all that nervousness he felt before Claude's arrival. Being with him was the easiest thing in the world; more natural than breathing.

✺✺✺

Later that night, they curled up around each other, naked in Lorenz's small bed.

In the half-light of the setting sun, Lorenz reached forward and held onto the broad expanse of Claude's shoulders. His skin was burnished copper, it should've burned Lorenz's hands. A part of him wished it would, it would only be right.

Claude leaned down and pressed his lips to Lorenz's. The soft swell of Lorenz's chest pressed against the hard plane of Claude's. They kissed as if they had never stopped. The memory of each other’s bodies undiminished after those long, lonely weeks. It was comforting to know that even if they went without each other, they wouldn't forget.

They moved in tandem, Claude moving his fingers inside Lorenz with a knowing, pleased smile on his flushed face. Though he could feel that familiar pressure, he didn't want it to break over him. Lorenz wanted to keep Claude inside him for as long as he could, just as he wanted to stay in his arms at the airport. He wanted so much from Claude, but it didn't feel like greed.

But eventually, it ended. Claude's clever fingers brought a wave to crash down over Lorenz. He closed his eyes, and let himself be swept away.

✺✺✺

Claude went and grabbed them each a glass of water afterward, on account of how Lorenz's legs refused to stop shaking.

"So." Claude sat back down on the bed, handing a glass off to Lorenz. "Marianne called me a few days ago."

"Oh, Goddess." Lorenz groaned, sitting up.

"She's just worried about you," Claude said gently. "Don't be mad at her."

"I'm _not_ mad." Lorenz snapped. He drank down half the water in one long pull. "I would've appreciated it if she had asked me before she went telling you."

"So you know what I want to talk to you about then?"

"They're just dreams." Lorenz began to brush his hair out with his hands. He didn't want to meet Claude's eyes. "We don't have to talk about them."

"We could though. You talk about them to Marianne."

"I don't want to."

Claude's sigh felt impossibly loud. Lorenz felt himself blush again, though not in a pleasant way. Was it too much to ask for a single night? All he wanted was to forget for a little while, to distract himself with Claude's company and touch until everything that unsettled him was far away.

"Alright," Claude said finally. "We won't talk about it."

"Hmph," Lorenz back down. "Thank you."

They laid there in the dark, quiet yet still awake. The sleep that had been gently creeping up on Lorenz had been chased off, he felt so cold now.

✺✺✺

The man raised his hand again, the same sickly light gathering. He felt his eyes closed; he was ready for it to hit him. Resigned, even.

Suddenly, he felt himself be pushed down onto the trampled grass. When he opened his eyes, the roar of the chaos around him went dull and faded.

Laying there on the blood slick ground, was Marianne, her body broken.

Her eyes stared sightlessly up at the sky. The delicate skin of her neck was torn open, the dark light still dancing across the exposed red.

Desperately, he pulled himself along the grass, but he could not reach her. No matter how he tried, he could not reach anyone.

The world was burning around him, and Lorenz was alone.

✺✺✺

 _Who is making that noise?_ Was Lorenz's first thought upon waking. His second was, _Oh, It's me._

He was screaming. Harsh and gasping, it was a truly terrible sound, but he cannot make himself stop. Lorenz felt as if someone had reached inside his throat and pulled something loose. Trying to stop was like trying to stop a flood — impossible.

"Lorenz!" He heard Claude shout.

Then Lorenz realized he was thrashing and shaking against a familiar grip. The sound of his voice brought tears to Lorenz's eyes. His screams died down, as he began to sob. Claude held him through it all. Nothing felt real to Lorenz; nothing except the warmth coming from Claude's skin, the feeling of his breath on Lorenz's sweat-drenched neck.

Slowly, Lorenz began to quiet. His heart still raced in his chest, a tidal wave of grief threatened to drown him.

"My phone," Lorenz gasped. "Give me my phone."

Claude handed it to him, his eyes were wide and blank as he looked down at Lorenz shakily pulling up Marianne's contact. The ringing of the phone shot drowned out the nervous rasp of Lorenz's breathes as he waited for her to pick up.

"Lorenz?" Marianne answered, her voice bleary. "Is everything okay?"

"I, I wanted to make sure you were okay." Lorenz gasped. He listened to the sound of Marianne breathing over the phone, clearly trying to find a delicate way to say what she wanted to.

"Was it your dream?"

In answer, Lorenz let out another sob. He pressed a hand against his mouth, trying to hold the sound inside.

"Oh, honey," Marianne said. "Is Claude there? Can you give the phone to him please, sweetheart?"

He handed the phone to Claude, who had clearly been listening in. Lorenz buried his face in his knees. He wanted so desperately to stop shaking.

Distantly, he listened to Claude talk to Marianne.

"I'm not sure, he wouldn't tell me anything," Claude said. "Yeah, I know. Okay, thank you, Marianne. I'll make sure, I promise. I'll tell him."

Claude placed a hand down on his shoulder, his touch unbearably gentle. "Hey, Lorenz? Do you wanna talk to Marianne again?"

Lorenz shook his head. The worst was over, now all he was left with was embarrassment.

"Bye. Yeah, I promise." Claude hung up the phone. They sat there in the quiet, Claude slowly rubbing Lorenz's shoulder.

"Do you think you can sleep anymore?" Claude finally asked. It was still pitch black outside, but Lorenz wanted more than to leave the bed, to start running and never stop.

"I want to shower," Lorenz said.

"Okay." Claude rubbed a hand over his face. "I'll go make coffee."

✺✺✺

They ate a breakfast of last night's leftovers and coffee as the sun was just beginning to lighten the horizon.

Lorenz had stayed in the shower for nearly an hour. He felt as if no matter how hard he scrubbed he couldn't get clean. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw was red, covering every inch of him. Finally, he got out, wrapped a thin silk robe around himself, and went to face Claude.

The pull of his eyebrows and the clench of his jaw made Lorenz pause in the doorway to the kitchen. Rarely, did words escape him. It was one of the few weapons he had against the world, and now he was left floundering, defenseless.

"You scared me," Claude said. He was staring down into his coffee, sitting at Lorenz's kitchen island.

"I didn't mean to."

"Yeah, well." Claude sighed.

Lorenz waited for a moment for him to keep talking, but it seemed that the same silence that had taken over Lorenz had found its way inside Claude too. Mechanically, Lorenz grabbed his own mug. Coffee was not his preferred morning drink, he only kept it in stock for his friends. It seemed that he would need it this morning though.

"I'm sorry," Lorenz said, sitting down beside Claude. "That I scared you. That's why I didn't want to bring it up in the first place."

"How long have you been having them?" Claude finally looked over at him. It had been so long since Lorenz had seen such an open look of worry on his face.

"A few months," Lorenz answered. "And, it's just the one dream. Or, it's different parts, but it's all one event."

"What're they about?"

Lorenz took a long sip of his coffee. The strong, bitter taste was nearly intolerable.

"I'm in a battle, looking for someone." Lorenz began. The dream felt silly when he spoke it aloud. He didn't know how to capture the terror he felt and put it into words. "But I don't know their name, and I can't find them. The field I'm in catches fire, and then a man, he, well he sends some sort of light out at me, and then I wake up."

"Hmm." Claude hummed, noncommittedly. "Is that it?"

"No," Lorenz said. "Tonight, I saw something new. I normally wake up before the light hits me, but this time I felt myself get pushed out of the way. When I opened my eyes, Marianne was there, in the dream."

"What was she doing?"

"She was dead," Lorenz whispered. "It felt so real. I was so sure when I woke up, that it was true."

"That's why you needed to call her," Claude said, mostly to himself. "What do you think it means?"

"I don't know," Lorenz admitted.

"Then what about the man you see? Do you know him?"

"No." Lorenz shook his head. "I've never seen him before."

Claude sat there, silent. Lorenz knew he liked it when things aligned, when there was a reason for an action, even if one was not apparent at first glance. What was happening inside Lorenz's mind had no rime or reason to it, he felt sorry over how Claude's face darkened at this puzzle. It was something Claude could not outwit, and Lorenz could not explain. All they could do was sit together in the silence of Lorenz's apartment, and watch the sunrise over Derdriu.

✺✺✺

Claude ended up going back to sleep on the couch, waking up again just after eight. Lorenz, envying Claude's ability to fall asleep after caffeine, had spent those hours quietly cleaning the apartment.

He had changed the sheets first. It felt embarrassing now to look at them, laying there wrinkled and stained. Normally, Lorenz enjoyed the odd thrill of seeing the result of his and Claude's... _activities_ , but now they were stained with his cold sweat and tears. They felt ruined.

Just as he was finished putting away dishes, Claude stumbled into the kitchen.

"Hey," Claude rubbed at his eyes. "Do you wanna go down to the beach?"

"A walk would be nice," Lorenz said. "Let me get dressed, and we can be off?"

Claude smiled, and Lorenz felt himself breathe a bit easier. Perhaps he could claw back a bit of normalcy, as long as Claude continued to smile at him like that.

✺✺✺

The sea air tugged at the white linen skirt Lorenz wore. He walked arm in arm with Claude along the rocky beach, his short heeled boots unstable atop them. It was early enough that they were the only ones on the beach. Misguided tourists were still asleep, and other locals did not want to deal with the cold air that came rolling off the water at this hour.

"The ocean looks different in Almyra," Claude observed, his face turned towards the ocean breeze.

"How so?"

"The water looks lighter," Claude said. "Bluer."

"Hmm." Lorenz hummed, but he wasn't thinking about the oceans of Almyra. He had known Claude for long enough to know that he also wasn't talking about them, his words had an uncurrent to them that Lorenz could not yet parse.

"Perhaps I'll see them one day." Lorenz offered tentatively.

"Yeah," Claude nodded. "One day."

✺✺✺

Finally, the cold bite of the breeze drove them to the warm interior of a nearby cafe. Lorenz took delicate bites of a berry tart as Claude drank another cup of coffee.

"You shouldn't drink so much caffeine," Lorenz said.

Claude smiled. "Normally I don't."

"Ah. Right." Embarrassment made the back of his neck go hot. Of course, Claude would need something to fortify himself after the night Lorenz had put him through. Lorenz felt impossibly slow today, walking along only to trip himself upon nothing.

He was saved from the silence that was growing by his phone buzzing on their table.

**_Message from: marianne💙_ **

_10:02 am_

_hope you're feeling better <3!_

_if you and claude don't have any plans, me and leonie would love to see you two for dinner! we're having some people other people over too_

_i'm cooking stew :)_

"What's up?" Claude asked.

"We have a summons," Lorenz said. "Leonie and Marianne would like us to come over for a dinner they're hosting, if we're free."

"That'd be nice," Claude said. "I'd like to see Leonie."

Lorenz nodded as he ate the last bite of his tart. "I'm afraid I might be in trouble with her."

"Leonie?" Claude laughed. "Why?"

"I had to cancel one of our trips out to the ranch." Lorenz sighed.

Claude laughed, his eyes bright. "Oh, Lorenz. How will she ever forgive you."

"I suppose I'll find some way to atone." Lorenz sighed. His stomach fluttered when Claude laughed again. How he had missed that sound.

✺✺✺

Lorenz let himself be hugged by Marianne for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Her grip on him just a little too tight. He knew that she worried about him, but it was still so odd to be confronted by it in person.

"Sure you're okay?" She whispered in his ear. Only when he nodded did she let him go.

Leonie quickly stepped in to take her place, pulling him into a hug only because Marianne would've been upset if she pulled him into the headlock as he could tell she wanted to. Leonie had always wanted a younger sibling, and though Lorenz was older than her, had decided that Lorenz would do nicely in the role.

"I can't believe you ditched me!" She laughed into his hair, her faux stern voice already cracking along the edges.

"Yes, yes, a thousand apologies." Lorenz sighed. "I am a terrible friend, whatever you need me to do to make up for —"

"Ugh stop, stop." Leonie pushed him away. Behind him, Lorenz could tell Claude was laughing at them. "You're making me feel all itchy, stop apologizing."

"If you want, I'll drive us out to the ranch next weekend?" Lorenz offered as Marianne took his jacket. A few faint voices drifted from their house's living room, but not clearly enough to put any names to them.

"Yeah," Leonie grinned. "I'd like that."

"Who else is here?" Claude asked Marianne. He was putting away his own jacket. Even now he was a little odd about other people touching his things.

"Bernadetta. Oh, and Ferdinand brought his new boyfriend over to meet us," Marianne said. "They're in the living room if you'd like to go say hello. Leonie and I will be right there."

"Gotcha," Claude grinned and latched back onto Lorenz's arm. He pointedly ignored Marianne's pleased little smile and let Claude pull him along.

"Hey," Claude whispered to him. "You sure you wanna do this? We could go back to h—your place. Watch a movie, just relax."

"Claude," Lorenz smiled. "I'll be fine. I won't let a little dream ruin a night with my friends."

"Just," Claude frowned. "Promise me you'll tell me if you wanna leave okay? For any reason. Let me know."

"Okay," Lorenz said, taken back by Claude's seriousness. "I promise."

"Good." Claude smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Lorenz thought he was done seeing those.

Their walk to the living room turned tense. Claude's hand on his arm no longer felt like a simple comfort, but as if Claude was ready to pull him away. They stepped into the living room and Lorenz smiled at the sight of Ferdinand and Bernadetta. It had been far too long since he had seen either of them, as he had been reminded by Ferdinand's texts. Ferdinand especially had hoped to spend more time with Lorenz when he had moved to Derdriu, both their respective jobs had kept them far too busy.

"Lorenz!" Ferdinand cheered. "And Claude! I didn't know you were back!"

"Yeah, just got back in yesterday," Claude said.

"Hi Lorenz, hi Claude." Bernadetta gave them both a little wave.

"Hello Ferdie, Bernadetta." Lorenz smiled. He accepted Ferdinand's hug and kiss on the cheek, Claude's hand finally slipping from his arm.

"Where have you been!" Ferdinand smiled. "You didn't run off to Almyra too, did you?"

"Ah," Lorenz blushed. "No, dear, just busy with work."

"I never see you anymore," Ferdinand pouted. "We need to catch up!"

"Yes, we do!" Lorenz said. "What's this I hear about a new boyfriend? You didn't tell me about this!"

"Oh, it's not something you text about," Ferdinand blushed. His smile turned small, gentle. Lorenz had never seen a look like that on his friend's face. Behind him, Lorenz heard the sharp clack of boots on the hardwood floor.

"Oh, speaking of!" Ferdinand's smile flew full force back into a grin. "Lorenz, this is Hubert!"

As Lorenz turned to greet this Hubert, he didn't see Claude's face go dark. Lorenz blinked and met a pair of sickly green eyes that caused his breath to catch, and his heart to stop cold.

✺✺✺

In his dreams, one thing Lorenz cannot ignore is the fear that he will never find the person he's searching for. It haunts him, even after it wakes.

It is a feeling Lorenz has been intimately familiar with his entire life. His childhood had been spent longing for a single warm glance from his father, his mother. In his adolescence, he had learned to wrap himself in barbed words and cold distance. Only recently had he begun to pull off a lifetime of armor, expose the soft parts of himself to the warmth and care of others.

But even then, that yearning, that pull, had never truly left Lorenz. He felt as if he would be searching for his entire life.

To have even his dreams throw that back in his face hurt more than he ever let on.

✺✺✺

The sun was just setting over Derdriu. Lorenz had stumbled out of Marianne and Leonie's home and set his sights to the horizon. He had heard once that was what you should do if you felt seasick. He was not on the water, but Lorenz felt as if the ground beneath him had fallen away, leaving him adrift.

Lorenz continued to walk away from the house. He had ignored Marianne and Ferdinand's confused calls of his name; they had seemed so far away, unimportant.

_Lorenz? Lorenz, please look at me._

His eyes and throat burned, he knew he was crying. No matter how he tried to breathe slowly, or calm himself down, he couldn't stop.

_Lorenz! You're scaring me_

Those eyes. He knew those eyes, that face. How could he have possibly known?

"Lorenz!"

Someone had stepped in front of him, grabbing his arms. That grip rooted him in place, slowing the frantic spin of the world.

Claude's scared face swam in front of him, distorted by the tears that still welled in his eyes.

"Lorenz," Claude was breathing heavily, his hands were shaking. "Can you hear me?"

Lorenz nodded, he still couldn't bring himself to speak. Words were like fishhooks, sinking into the soft skin of his throat; they'd make him bleed if he tried to tear them out.

"I'm gonna take you home," Claude said. "Is that okay?"

"No," Lorenz gasped out.

"No?"

"The ocean," Lorenz said. "I want to see the ocean."

Something flashed across Claude's face, there and gone in the blink of an eye. Only someone who had been starving to know Claude would've recognized it; only someone like Lorenz.

"Okay." Claude breathed. "I'll take you there."

Claude reached down and laced their fingers together. He walked them to the water, never letting go.

✺✺✺

Rays of golden light were cast over the ocean, gilding the endless blue.

Lorenz breathed in time with the gentle crashing of the waves. Slowly, He felt his heart begin to settle down within his chest. The ice that had settled in his veins melting away in the warmth of the setting sun.

"You told me once that you'd take me to see the ocean," Lorenz said, his voice nearly lost beneath the sound of the waves.

"Did I?" Claude asked. He stood a hair's breadth away from Lorenz's side. He could still feel the lingering warmth of Claude's hand within his own.

"You wanted to show me the ocean from Almyra," Lorenz said. "You said the beaches of the Crown City were the most beautiful in the entire world."

"They haven't called it the Crown City in a long time Lorenz," Claude whispered.

"No," Lorenz nodded. "They haven't."

The silence stretched between them. Lorenz could hear Claude's breathing go ragged and wet.

"In your dream," Claude said. His voice was rough, desperate. "Do you ever find who you're looking for?"

"It doesn't matter," Lorenz whispered back. "I found him anyway."

Claude grabbed his hand, pulling Lorenz around to face him. With sudden bravery—he always was so brave—Claude cupped Lorenz's jaw and kissed him, softly at the corner of his lips.

The kiss itself lasts only a heartbeat. Both of them pulling back in something like shock, or simply the feeling of something finally righting itself, going back to the way it should have always been.

Lorenz’s hand reaches up to hold Claude’s, pulling it away from his jaw and to his lips. He kisses Claudes’s fingertips, his callouses, and scars, the jut of his wrist bone, the thin skin there.

“Please,” Lorenz begged. His voice sounds harsh in the suddenly quiet world, raspy as if he has been shouting. “Please.”

Claude — kind, always so kind to him, _Claude_ — did not leave him wanting for long. He leaned back in, a smile on his face, and kissed him again.

This time is firmer, grounding Lorenz like an anchor here at this moment. Claude’s mouth is so soft against his own, warm and comforting just like everything else about him. Lorenz hopes that Claude thinks he is soft in return.

The river stones slide underneath his feet as Lorenz tried to move closer, tried to get more of Claude's touch. He felt desperate, half-crazed. He wanted to crawl inside of Claude; he wants to open his chest and live tucked in there safely for the rest of his life.

Lorenz made a soft sound, shocking himself. It is nearly a cry, or whimper, something that reminded him of a wounded animal. Claude’s arms looped around Lorenz’s neck, hands clutching at his hair.

The force of it continued to build. Lorenz pushed towards him with a bruising force, Claude answering with the same. Teeth caught on lips, ragged breaths escaping from between them, floating out into the open air. Inside, Lorenz felt as if he could scream. He wanted to shout with joy and fear at once. He wanted everyone to know how Claude makes him feel. He wanted to run out into the street and shout so everyone could hear: _Finally_. _I found him._

Claude pulled back first, the slick slide of their lips loud and embarrassing, bringing a flush to both of their already-red faces. The inky curls of Claude's hair are mussed, Lorenz now just realizing he had been running his hands through it.

For a moment, all they can do is stare at each other in shocked wonder. A smile curls Claude’s kiss-bruised lips, a sight so enticing Lorenz wanted to drag him back close immediately. Lorenz wondered how he looked to Claude: pale cheeks flushed, flushed from the setting sun and his touch, hair curling around his face.

"Lorenz." Claude breathed.

"Claude," Lorenz’s eyes welled up with tears again. "Oh, I missed you."

Laughing, Claude's own tears spilled over. The sun was setting behind him, placing upon his head a crown of golden light.

✺✺✺

They retreat back to Lorenz's apartment. The lights stayed off, neither Lorenz nor Claude ready to shine so direct a light on what bloomed between them at the beach. They let the setting sun illuminate their way to Lorenz's bedroom.

Claude was pulling at him almost frantically, constantly making sure they were touching even as Lorenz turned to close the door behind them. Lorenz didn't think he had ever seen him like this, not even _before_.

"When did you..." Lorenz trailed off. He didn't know how to talk about what had happened, he didn't have the words.

"A few months ago," Claude said. "When I landed in Almyra."

"So it happened —"

"At the same time." Claude smiled. "For both of us."

"How?"

"Did it happen at the same time? At all?" Claude shook his head. "I don't know Lorenz. I don't know."

"Would you have ever told me?" Lorenz asked. "If I had never...woken up myself?"

"I don't know." Claude sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked up at Lorenz. "Would you have believed me?"

"I would've wanted to," Lorenz whispered. "Even before I knew this was real, I would have liked the idea."

"The idea?"

"That we're connected," Lorenz said, a little embarrassed to say it so plainly. "That we couldn't be separated so easily."

Claude looked so torn apart, so vulnerable gazing up at him. Lorenz wanted to hold him close, give him a shield against the world until he could rebuild his armor. This was a world without a war though, Lorenz realized. There was no need for Claude to carry that weight any longer.

It was funny. They had died trying to bring about a kinder world, only to be reborn into one.

"Lorenz," Claude said. "Can you come here?"

Lorenz shivered and walked froward till their knees touched. He folded himself down to sit in Claude's lap.

"We never did this," Lorenz whispered. "Before, the first time, I mean. Did we?"

"No." Claude shook his head. "I—we—wanted to though."

"I did. We did." Lorenz smiled. "I'm sorry we didn't."

"It's okay." Claude smiled. He placed his hand in the dip of Lorenz's back, his other on the curve of his lips. "Now we get to again, and for the first time."

Lorenz shivered, a rush of anticipation and nerves wracking him. Claude was right, this was both their first time together, and yet just another time coming together. They had done this before, they had never. Both thoughts hung suspended in Lorenz's mind, both true.

Claude moved his hands to the hem of the silky blouse Lorenz wore. He rested his hands against the ties and looked up at Lorenz.

"Can I?" He asked. Lorenz nodded; so quick that Claude let out a little, charming laugh. He undid the ties, Lorenz lowering his shoulders and arms so the silky fabric could spill against his skin and down onto the floor.

He thought he should feel more self-conscious. In Lorenz's mind, this was the first time Claude was seeing the pale swell of his breasts, the rosy blush that spilled down from his neck and across them. He should've been fearful and moving to cover himself up. But this was Claude, and Claude had always looked at him as if that was all he ever wanted to do.

It made Lorenz want to impress him. It made him want to see Claude's gaze darken and a blush bloom on his face at the sight of Lorenz's body. At that moment, as Claude’s gaze did exactly that, Lorenz had never felt more like his body was _his_. Like it was something to be proud of, something for someone to love.

Before they had remembered they had taken such care to look with only fleeting glances. Existing together, but constantly ensuring they had an out. That they never looked too closely, like they wanted to keep each other, no matter how much they wanted to.

Stepping up for a moment, Lorenz lets his linen skirt fall as well. Claude reached up and grabbed him around the back of his legs, in the soft curve where his ass met his thighs. He pulled him flush against Claude. Lorenz choked at the sensation; the sudden weight of Claude's head against his stomach. His lips, pressing such delicate kisses onto the soft, downy skin there. Lorenz tangled his hands in Claude's hair, pressing against the curve of Claude's neck.

"Is this okay?" Claude asked, his voice ragged. "Are you okay?"

Lorenz nodded his head, amazed at Claude’s own ability to be able to talk during this. He clutched at the shirt Claude wore. The stitching a comforting roughness against his skin.

Claude fell back against the bed, bringing Lorenz down atop of him. His purple hair spilled around them, veiling them from the world. A soft moan escaped from between Lorenz's lips as Claude shifted, bringing his thigh up against the slick warmth between Lorenz's legs.

Claude’s hands moved up to the swell of his ass, pressing him harder against his thigh, causing another punched out sound to drag itself free from Lorenz. In a sudden burst of bravery, or perhaps just simple want, Lorenz leaned up and tugged at Claude’s clothes, removing them. Every inch of warm brown skin revealed made the want in Lorenz burn brighter and deeper, made him want to push closer and closer.

The lines of Claude’s body beckoned to him; the perfect curve for the sharp edges of his own self. The hard, small jut of Claude’s cock from the thatch of dark curls between his legs made Lorenz’s mouth water, his hands twitching forward.

Before he could move, Claude surged up, spinning Lorenz around until he laid flat against the bed. Splayed out for Claude's eyes.

Claude shifted downwards until he could run his mouth along the sharp juts of Lorenz's hips, the soft curve of his belly. The sight of him between his legs made Lorenz's heart begin to race, bringing a smile to Claude's face. He leaned down until he was face to face with where Lorenz was red and slick, his clit hard and red.

“Can I?” Claude breathed against his skin. “Lorenz, can I?”

Lorenz reached out and threaded his hands through Claude's hair, pushing it out of his face.

“Yes,” Lorenz whispered, tearing it out of himself. Claude smiled, turning his head to press a kiss to his arm.

The feeling of Claude’s mouth on him made Lorenz arch his back, his hands falling from Claude's hair to grasp at the sheets. His stomach jumped at the hot, wet slide of Claude's lips and tongue. A noise of shock, a whimper, fell from him as his mind went blank. Lorenz was grateful then, so grateful, that Claude had pulled him to lie down — if he had done this to him while he was still upright, Lorenz didn't know if he would’ve been able to stay that way.

Claude's hands felt like brands against his skin. As if when he pulled them away, there would be marks left behind, burned into his skin. One against his waist, the other around his thigh. Lorenz let out a groan as he watched Claude move the one from Lorenz's waist down to touch himself.

Suddenly, Lorenz was hit with the sudden dissonance of how this had never happened to him. How it had happened just last night. That this was, and wasn't, the closest he had ever been to another person. That perhaps, _perhaps_ , Claude felt the same. It was overwhelming; the heat of Claude's mouth, the tight grip of his hand of Lorenz's thigh as he moved, the wet sounds so loud in the air. The way Claude's other hand moved against himself. It made Lorenz fall back onto the bed, throwing an arm over his face.

Claude pulled away with a slick sound that made Lorenz’s toes curl. “Lorenz, I want to see you. Come on, let me see you.”

Lorenz drew in a rasping, wet breath. Tears began to pool in his eyes as he leaned up onto his elbow, reaching out with his other hand to grab onto Claude’s.

Through his lashes, Claude did not look away from him. Lorenz couldn't look away now either, there was no world where Lorenz could break the connection that flared between them at this moment. Claude slowed down to a near torturous pace, taking his hand off of himself to bring his fingers to press against Lorenz's aching entrance. Not pushing in, just a heady promise.

“Please,” Lorenz finally begged, after a few long moments of this. "Claude, please.”

Claude moaned, the vibrations of it shaking through the entirety of Lorenz. He pressed two fingers inside of Lorenz, pushing in with an ease that left Lorenz breathless.

It was too much for him. Soon after, Lorenz came with a gasp and an abortive flex of his hips. It’s was easy, and too soon, and the euphoria that swelled within him crashed into a pang of embarrassment. But it was gone just as quickly as it came. How can Lorenz feel embarrassed with Claude looking up at him with such a warm look, with something in his eyes that both terrified and delighted Lorenz in equal measure?

“Claude,” Lorenz breathed, pulling at his arms, hands fluttering with the aftershocks. Claude lifted himself up, settling across one of Lorenz's thighs. He let out his own wrecked sound as he pressed himself against the smooth, soft curve of it. Lorenz’s hands reached around to press against the small of Claude’s back, slippery with sweat. He used this grip to guide Claude forward, leaving a trail of slick across Lorenz's thigh.

Claude sounded wrecked, whimpering and gasping as he moved messy and untrained against Lorenz. His breath quickened, the sound of it intoxicating to Lorenz. Surprisingly, Lorenz found himself talking.

“I want to see you too,” Lorenz breathed hotly against Claude’s jaw, his throat. “Let me see you, please.” Claude let out a low groan, nearly pained at his words. Lorenz pulled back an inch to watch Claude, in awe of how overwhelmed he looked. Against him, Claude’s body stilled, a soundless cry parting his red, bruised lips. Lorenz tightened his arms around him, rocking and holding him close as he shook apart.

When he finally stills, Lorenz leaned back, pulling them down to curl around each other.

Everything went hazy and sweet. There was no other feeling but the soft warmth of Claude's skin against his own, nothing but the sound of their breaths in the empty room. It felt as if they are the only two people left in the city, that the world around them has faded away, leaving them to their joy.

Selfishly, Lorenz never wanted to move again. He wanted the world to spin on without them, for their friends and loved ones to leave them to each other. That they could stay like this; bathed in warm light, smiles across their faces.

✺✺✺

Lorenz woke in the middle of the night. Without even opening his eyes, he knew Claude was awake. His gaze was as heavy as his hand against Lorenz's skin. He opened his eyes. Only a sliver of Claude's face was visible, the pale moonlight highlighting the cut of his cheekbones, the ridge of his nose.

"Claude?" Lorenz whispered. The night felt too delicate to speak any louder.

"Hi," Claude smiled. He reached up and pushed a strand of Lorenz's hair from his face, tucking it delicately behind his ear.

"Is everything okay?"

Claude's smile turned brittle. Lorenz reached out and placed a hand on his chest. Underneath his touch, Claude's heart was racing.

"Claude?"

"I watched you die. I can't forget it." The words spilled from Claude, with the ferocity of a river that had been dammed up for an age.

"Oh, Claude." Lorenz wanted to shuffle forward, to place his head on Claude's chest. However, his gaze kept Lorenz pinned.

"I'm okay," Claude said. He cupped Lorenz's cheek, running his thumb across the thin skin beneath Lorenz's eye. "Just let me look at you for a bit, okay?"

"Look as long as you like." Lorenz smiled. He leaned forward and kissed Claude. Against his lips he said;

"I'm going nowhere. Not without you."

**Author's Note:**

> here is a round up of what happens next/stuff i couldn't find a place for ~ 
> 
> \- marianne was the first to 'wake up'/regain her memories. lorenz saying that he and claude are just friends has been very funny to her  
> \- claude was trying to get lorenz to tell him that he thought the dreams were real the whole day before he remembered for real, it doesn't matter what life he's living, claude isn't one to just lay all the cards on the table  
> \- hubert, who has had flashes of dreams, at that failed dinner party: 👁 — 👁, uh oh.  
> \- lorenz never ends up going back to school, he works for lysithea for another year before finding himself getting into grassroots politics  
> \- ferdinand is very confused as to why lorenz bolted at the sight of his new boyfriend, it isn't until he starts having dreams of his own does he realize  
> \- they redo their 'first meeting' once ferdinand and hubert both remember, it goes, as well as it could  
> \- claude and lorenz never figure out why they came back, but they find it's a mystery they can live with
> 
> hope u enjoyed and u can find me on twitter at @/foundati0ns (°◡°♡)


End file.
